CMV: If you are in your 20s, choosing a college major based on earning potential is a 100% reasonable decision.

55% of millennials regret their major. 45% of millennials don't even work in the field of their degree. If you get a degree that leads to a high paying job but you hate it, well... you're in the exact same spot as the 45% who got a degree they loved and then ended up working at Starbucks. At least this way you're making $100,000 a year.<br><br>If you want to study medieval history, be my guest. But if you study medieval history, you either need to already have a lot of money or you need to accept that you're going to be eating Top Ramen for the next ten years of your life. This is a necessary part of life. If you want to be a teacher, then you obviously don't care about money. And that's okay. This doesn't mean that you should let the desire for money cloud other areas of your life. But it absolutely should play a role in what you study in college.<br><br>edit: I should add that I am not saying that the goal should be to pick a major only because you think it will lead to a high-paying job. You should choose a major that leads to a high-paying job **and also offers a career that you wouldn't mind working in.** However, if you are choosing between two majors that you like equally, and one leads to a high-paying job while the other leads to a lower-paying job, then you should choose the one that leads to the higher-paying job.<br><br>And another thing - I am not saying that this is how it **should** be. We should have a system where everyone who wants to be a teacher can be a teacher without a life of poverty. This is how it **is**.<br><br>And a third thing - I am not saying that there should not be *any* consideration of your own happiness. Happiness should play a major role in this decision. It just shouldn't be the only factor. It is totally reasonable to look at two options, one that will lead to a job that you will hate but where you will be rich, and one that will lead to a job that you will love, but where you will be poor, and choose the one where you will be rich. That is a totally reasonable decision. And it is also a totally reasonable decision to choose the one where you will be happy but will be poor. But to choose a path just because it will lead to happiness while completely ignoring the financial consequences is a poor decision.